The Mothman Chronicles
by QuitexSoul
Summary: AU: Dib was only trying to find proof of alien life, but with a partner like Bill it was hard to find the time. Gaz just wanted the annoying green kid to stop trying to steal her Game Slave. When races clash Dib enters the fight for the freedom of the universe. Too bad he's surrounded by idiots. Will be slash and xeno, but not Dib/Zim.
1. Prologue

TITLE: The MOTHMAN Chronicles

PAIRINGS: Dib/Lard Nar and 777/Zim

SUMMARY: AU: Dib was only trying to find proof of alien life, but with a partner like Bill it was hard to find the time. Gaz just wanted the annoying green kid to stop trying to steal her Game Slave. When races clash Dib enters the fight for the freedom of the universe. Too bad he's surrounded by idiots.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything of Invader Zim and I am NOT making a profit from this.

Prologue: Sounds of Chance

The glare from the screens should have blinded him, but he had stared into them for ten hours straight which gave him immunity to the harshness of the light in the dark room. As it was, the monitors had provided the only source of light for the room's sole inhabitant to work in. The booming sounds that sprang from the headphones that covered his ears drowned out the silence around him. At first the sounds had instilled a sense of hope and humility within him, but as hours passed the sounds lost their grandeur and acted more as white noise during his continued search. He muttered the coordinates of the next sector under his breath and bent over to adjust the dials of the scanners to their new position. Distracted by his task, he never noticed the sound of another's footsteps as they neared his seat until an unexpected grip on his shoulder jolted him from his work. He jumped back in his seat which caused his chair to skid back and nearly bring the expensive equipment with him. Cursing, he slipped off his headphones and turned to face whoever would interrupt his work.

"Holy shit! What the- oh, Agent Dark Bootie. What are you still doing here; I thought you would have left by now?" After he adjusted his glasses he smiled up at his mentor's scruffy face as the older man chuckled and shook his head. "_I_ had some samples to organize before heading out, but what are _you_ still doing here Mothman?" he questioned casting the other a reproachful look. The younger frowned slightly before turning back to his screens.

"Just a few more sectors, and then I can-" "Dib," his mentor interrupted sharply, "it's time to go home. Others took off hours ago, and so should you." Exasperated, Dib shook his head and stared at the screens. "No can do sir. It took forever to convince the stiffs at SETI to let me use their sensors. I only have a month to squeeze in as much research as I can before they demand them back." His mentor frowned and felt insulted on behalf of his protegee. "Boy, you might not be one of the best, but you are one of this organizations most dedicated agents. Everyone here knows my research would have been scrapped if not for you. You are helping to further the search of ETL, something even our best agents seem to avoid around here. I'm sure I can convince the higher-ups to get you more time with" he gestured awkwardly to the screens in front of Dib, "whatever this is."

Dib smirked and ignored the embarrassed discomfort he felt to instead explain the complicated system of equipment before him. "Those sensors are sensitive to electromagnetic radiation in space, and this here converts the radiation into audible sounds" he explained excitedly as he eagerly pointed out each component to his mentor. "My own scanners equip the sensors with a power boost that allows me to pinpoint sections, or sectors, of space to check. Finally, this little guy here records everything so nothing is lost." He finished, pointing to the large metal box sitting on the floor.

"Now hold up a minute boy, you saying you are _listening to space_?" Dark Bootie muttered god-smacked. He snickered at the other's reaction before he continued. "Pretty much, yeah. It's pretty amazing isn't it? I had a hard time concentrating at first because it was just so cool. It's perfect for my research too. Ideally, I'll be able to record audible proof of ETL." Dib's smile turned forlorn and he sighed. "It sounds stupid, but space is just so… _big_. There are just too many sectors to search. Chances of me finding any sort of proof of intelligent life are less than 0.01 percent over four billion years. I could search my entire life 50 times over and still find nothing." He confessed dejectedly before he adjusted the dials of the scanners again to a new sector. His mentor patted his shoulder and gestured him to stand up.

"I know it seems hopeless boy, but you keep it up. Even if you don't succeed, you never know what you might stumble into trying." He stated seriously, before he smiled down at the younger man. "Now help a senior agent to his car and he might be persuaded to pick up some take out for his best student." Knowing his mentor was right; Dib slipped off his headphones and set them down on the table. It was late and his sister had the car for the day. His stomach growled and he remembered just how long ago it had been since he had last eaten. After he reached his decision he nodded and stood to follow his mentor out. 'Tomorrow', he thought. Tomorrow he would come in early and continue where he left off, but tonight he was done. He locked the door behind him and never heard the odd chirping noises the equipment picked up. The equipment continued to run as the chirping sound alerted all members of its mighty race that the universe would be theirs for the taking.

INFO:  
SETI: 'Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence' is a non-profit institution dedicated to search the universe for life. They use sensors that covert electromagnetic radiation into audible sounds. Check it out, it's really interesting stuff!

ETL: Extraterrestrial Life

Author's Note: As mentioned, this is an Alternative Universe story which features Dib as an adult in his early 20s who is an agent at the Swollen Eyeball. The series never happened in this story. This story also features slash/xeno pairings. If you do not agree or like that you are welcome to click the back button. If you don't care then I hope you enjoy the ride! Romance is not the focal point, but it will be seen later on, though not for a long while. I've read through this probably a hundred times now, but chances are I still missed something. If you catch a mistake, please let me know! Thank you for reading and see you next week!


	2. Of Meetings and Pizza

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything of Invader Zim and I am NOT making a profit from this.

Chapter 1: Of Meetings and Pizza

_…In conclusion the Swollen Eyeball has found that Agent Mothman offers no compelling evidence to support his proposal that the audible recordings presented are evidence of a possible alien language. After further review the Board has decided the Eyeball can no longer waste its resources in such an endeavor. While we cannot force you to end your research, we do insist that if you wish to continue working with us as an agent you will complete the assignments presented to you. A new case file and partner will be assigned to you shortly. If you have any questions…_

"Please see your superior. Blah, blah, blah."

Dib stomped down the hall from the conference room still furious from his proposal review. His folder, which contained the last two years of his sweat and blood, clenched in his trembling fists. 'Why didn't they listen to me?' he thought. 'They wouldn't even see _reason_.' His final review had gone much worse than he had suspected, and just to think that two years ago people had been tripping over themselves to help him. The morning he had returned to his lab and found the alien audio his equipment had recorded had been one of the best moments of his life. He could still recall how he had tripped over his chair as he raced out of his lab to find Dark Bootie. He had been unable to express any discernible sentence and had to drag the old man out of his office to force him to hear for himself what the excitement was about. After Dark Bootie realized what he was listening to, the senior agent had joined his assistant as a yammering mess. Once they were understandable again they had quickly got to work to inform the Eyeball's top officials and researchers of the discovery.

Word had traveled fast around the base and soon it had seemed that everyone had wanted to offer their assistance and expertise. Never before had Dib felt more important, or respected, to his fellow agents. He had truly felt like Agent Mothman and not just lab assistant he knew everyone thought of him as. People had called it the discovery of the century, and funds to support him had been thrown his way. Unfortunately, Dib's luck had run out, as it often does. Conspirators turned into skeptics and challenged the legitimacy of his work. They called in experts from all scientific fields to review and analysis the recordings. Dib had battled them for a year, desperate to prove his work, and it seemed he had finally lost. But then, how could he compete against the credibility of a man like _Professor Membrane_?

"Hey Mothman, wait up! I've heard about your proposal. Too bad man, too bad, but I guess that's what you get when you waste the Eyeball's resources listening to a bunch of bugs." Dib gritted his teeth as the other sauntered up next to him with a satisfied smirk. "They were not _bugs_ Disembodied Head." The man seemed to look thoughtful for a moment before correcting himself. "Oh, that's right, what did those guys from the Membrane Institute call it again? Hm… Oh yeah, it was Atmospheric Noise Interference right? Claimed it was discharge from lightening storms didn't they?" Dib stopped at a pair of office doors and glared. "If that was all you wanted _Bill_, I'll be going." Bill gave a sickening grin at the challenge and shifted his sunglasses down his nose. "Sorry Dibbers, but I'm not done yet. It is my duty, _and pleasure_, to inform you that it has been decided that since your bug fiasco cost the Eyeball so much time and money you and your so-called 'skills' will be reassigned to work with me on my next case." "What? Who decided this?" Dib questioned in shock. 'They seriously wouldn't pair him with Bill would they?' Bill carelessly tossed a case file over his shoulder as he turned to walk away. "The Board did, so starting Monday we will be working the Count Cocofang case. Be ready Dibbers, 'cause now _I'm_ in charge."

Dib frowned at the other's retreating back while struggling to balance the added case file with his own research already filling his arms. He managed to pry open the door only to watch as the two files slipped and scattered onto the floor, mixing with one another. "Okay, really?!" he cried out in frustration before he dropped to his knees and tried to sort through the papers. This was seriously not turning out to be his day. Dark Bootie sighed from his desk at the other's state. With a groan he lifted himself from his chair and slowly he crossed the room to offer his assistance."Tough meeting?" he asked as he began to sort the papers into different piles. Dib snorted, looking frenzied as he went from one paper to the next. "I'm allowed to continue my own work." he explained, sounding much calmer than he looked. "But not on the Eyeball's time. The SETI reps said they would let me use their equipment as long as I send them copies of the collected data. Without the extra assistance from other agents though, the collection process is going to be slow. The Board has also decided to assign me fieldwork instead of just leaving me down in the labs, so I'll never going to find time to work."

"Now boy, it can't be all-"

"They have me working with Bill." Dib interrupted with a deadpanned stare and Dark Bootie grimaced. "That idget is still an agent?" Dib nodded looking positively miserable as they finished gathering the papers into the appropriate folders. He groaned at his luck. "What am I going to do? They'll never believe my recordings are real without physical proof. What do they expect me to do, just hand them an alien with a bow on top?" He asked as he picked up the files and moved to his mentor's desk. He slammed them down and stared at the papers sticking out haphazardly from their messy resorting. Taking out a sheet he stared down at the records sternly. "I know this is real, I just need to prove it."

Dark Bootie looked over the other's shoulder at the findings with a scowl. Dib wasn't the only one crushed by his failure to convince the Board that the case was legitimate. However, the senior agent realized long ago that even though the Swollen Eyeball was filled with conspirators, it was still a business of sorts. The majority of their supporters were insane people of wealth who were desperate to prove that the paranormal studies were real. They would latch on to promising cases in hopes they would find proof, but with no concrete evidence to otherwise save a project the Eyeball would often cut its losses and move onto the next project. It wasn't the first time he had seen something like this happen, but he had still hoped otherwise. Guess the boy had to learn sometime though. He patted the Dib's back and moved around the desk to sit in his seat.

"Perhaps this will do you some good." He stated as he dug through his own stack of files. "You've been staring at those papers too long, been listening to those chirps nonstop since you first heard them. You need to give yourself a rest and come at it with fresh eyes. In the mean time," he straightened in his seat as he pulled out the file he had been searching for, "come look at these."

Dib sighed and nodded in agreement, knowing the other was right. Looking at the data sheet handed to him, he read them over before he glanced at his mentor in surprise. "What is this?" he questioned in surprise, taking the other sheets Dark Bootie handed him. "That," Dark Bootie said as he pointed to the first sheet "is data collected from the Voyager 1 probe currently in route through the heliopause. The other two are from the Voyager 2 probe at the heliosteath and the New Horizons probe near Pluto. As you can see, correlations between the temperature and pressure data recently taken suggest something may have passed by them all lately."

"Meteoroid?" Dib guessed as he compared the different data. "Most likely." Dark Bootie agreed. "The concern right now is, whatever it is, it's moving faster than anything we've ever seen, and it's trajectory-" "Is headed straight for Earth." Dib interrupted stealing a glance at the other's serious face. "So should we be getting prepared for the end of the world or what? What's the ETA?" Dark Bootie chuckled and shook his head. "Naw boy, it's small so the majority should burn up in the atmosphere. It'll hitting within the next week though, and with speeds like that scientists from all over will be flocking to collect all, if any, debris left. Want to help me find it first?" He asked with a giddy smile. He knew the boy would never pass up any venture that somehow involved space, and judging by the way the boy's face lit up he was right. True, all they would be doing would be looking for a rock, but Dib knew it was more than anything he would be doing in the lab. 'Or with Bill' he shuttered. "I'll have to convince Gaz I need the car, but yeah. Who knows maybe this will be just the break I need."

He and Dark Bootie spent the rest of the afternoon working out their plans for how they would locate the meteorite during its upcoming arrival. Dark Bootie explained that, while they had no way to know exactly where it would land, they could safely guess by the recordings it would hit somewhere within the Northern Hemisphere. "While it'll be hard to pin point the exact location, the math is telling me it will probably land in this Midwest region." He said, circling the region on the map he had taped on the wall. "It will be a long drive, and we won't be able to leave until it hits, but I have friends in the area who have agreed to their eyes and ears open for anything. They say if they found it before we did they will keep it to themselves so no unwanted competition reaches it before we do." Dib nodded before looking at his mentor confused. "Why do we have to wait? You did get this approve by the Board didn't you?" Dark Bootie made a face. "Shoot boy, you telling me you would still go to the Board for permission after today, didn't you learn nothing? They don't need to know about this, and we don't need to tell them now do we." Dib considered arguing, but the more he thought about it the more sense it made to keep this to themselves, at least for now. The Board would never approve the trip in enough time for them to reach it, and they couldn't waste time just waiting around for clearance. Besides, he was feeling a little spiteful of them after his review. Reaching his decision, Dib nodded in assent. "Yeah you're right, but we keep this to ourselves. The Board finds out about this and we'll be in for it." With that they stayed up late into the evening figuring out what equipment they would need to bring, and what they could afford to leave behind.

When they were finished Dib left to head down to his lab to put away his research folder. Locking his research away in his desk, he sat down to look over his new case file. Propping his feet on the deck as he reviewed the notes of the case he grimaced at the attached picture of an obese middle-aged man in a vampire costume. 'If it isn't the Count himself' he thought staring at the photo before tucking it back behind the notes. He suddenly doubted he would be able to get though the stupidity of this case with his so-called partner. He might just consider quitting, or even killing Bill. Right then the second option looked best.

After he slipped the file away, he stretched in his chair before standing and heading out the door. The day had been awful, and he had had enough of it. Making sure the door locked behind him, he shuffled out into the parking garage to find his car. He was not looking forward to the talk his father would likely give him when he got back, but he hoped the man decided to stay at his own facilities in the city as he was often prone to do. Dib was not in the mood for a 'real science' lecture tonight, especially after his father had torn apart his research in front of Dib's superiors. He had never felt more humiliated than when his father had not only shredded his beliefs, but also treated him like he was ten again. He wasn't some kid who ran to his dad with tales of ghosts and Big Feet anymore, but his father just couldn't see it. Years of earning the respect he had wanted from his fellow agents went out the door thanks to Daddy Dearest.

He reached the car when he felt his phone vibrate deep in his pocket, and after shuffling around the different nick-knacks he managed to grab it. He looked down to see a text from Gaz, already knowing what she wanted. _'Pizza.' _Of course, what else? It seemed he was making another food run tonight. He groaned as he started the car and pulled out of the garage, trying to remember which Bloaty's Pizza Hog was closest to his route. Settling for the one off Main Street, he quickly ran inside to pick up a to-go order. The line was long, and there were filthy children running around everywhere. He shivered when he saw one of the animatronics dressed like a walrus go to a table nearby. 'Creepy.' Once his order was ready he raced out the door back to his car. When he finally got home he had barely took three steps inside before Gaz appeared in front of him with a glare. He handed her the pizza silently before she could jerk it out of his hands and he watched her glide into the kitchen to devour her prize. He sighed and followed her, hoping she would let him snag a few pieces for his own dinner.

"How was school?" He asked as he hesitantly grabbed a plate. Gaz continued to glare but said nothing as he reached for the food. Satisfied that she did not protest, he quickly swiped his portion and joined her at the table. She snorted at his question, but said nothing more instead choosing to stuff her mouth with pizza. 'Looks like she had a good day then' he mused to himself. Feeling confident that his sister had decided to at least tolerate him for the night he continued. "That's good. Can I have the car for the next few days? There is a meteor coming and I'm helping a friend track it when it finally lands." Gaz muttered "Whatever" under her breath as she continued to eat. Dib smiled at her permission, even though it was technically his car. He had learn long ago though that even if something was his, it was still Gaz's and it was best to just ask her before using it.

Dib sat at the table with his sister as he told her about his day, leaving out his disappointing proposal review. His mood lifted as he discussed his work and all the findings in his research. Just when he told her about the latest reading his equipment picked up Gaz gave him a scathing look. "Dad already told me what happened. You failed and your work is stupid. Get over it." Dib stammered and withered under her look. "D-Dad?" he asked cautiously. "He already stopped by earlier, complaining you were still being insane. He picked up some stuff and took off; same old same old." His sister had never been much for talking, so Dib was slightly stunned by how much his sister had decided to say. He frowned and they both went back to their pizza in silence. Once he finished, he put his pate in the sink and ran some water before heading upstairs.

He flopped down on his bed where he stared mutely out the window. Sure his father and sister might think he's crazy, but he knew he had something. Though he doubted Gaz thought he was crazy, per say, probably just stupid. He turned on his TV and laid there as Mysterious Mysteries played in the background. 'Well, let them think what they want.' Dib decided. 'I'll find a way to prove them wrong and then they'll wish they had listened to me.' Dib lost himself in thoughts about aliens and meteors until he finally drifted off to sleep.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! See you next week!


	3. The Case of Count Cocofang

Chapter 2: Agent Disembodied Head

"Okay that should be everything." Dib said as he packed in the last of the equipment into his car. It was a tight fit and he wanted to scream about the number times he had to double check they had everything packed away and secured. "You sure? We can't afford not to have everything if we need to get and go." Dark Bootie asked from where he stood, watching as the younger agent crawled out of the back seat and dust his hands off."Yes sir; hazmat suits, all the scanners, excavation equipment, caution tape, and everything else you can and probably will think of." He announced as he counted off on his fingers. "I'm actually amazed it could all fit in here." Dib grinned as he patted the roof of his car. He secretly crossed his fingers that old Junker would not breakdown; the last thing he needed was being stuck on the side of the road when the meteor finally hit.

Dark Bootie looked pleased with the news. "Alright then boy, we're ready. As soon as the alarm goes off I'll give you a call. No matter what, you need to be in this car and headed to the coordinates when you get word. We can't afford wasting a second dragging our feet or we lose the site to other folks." He reminded him seriously, not happy at the thought of the race with other agents also looking for the meteor they would be competing in. Dib agreed quickly before casting a smirk his mentor's way. "I still can't believe you hacked NASA's systems." Dark Bootie chuckled as he headed back inside the facility. "You find it's easy to learn the tricks when you're seen as just a part of the clean-up crew; no one pays you any mind." As they walked Dark Bootie recounted his exploits as a janitor from years ago, back when he had to steal glances at computer screens and eavesdrop to hear the newest discoveries from space. Oh how things had changed since then.

While his mentor sat back in his office chair and continued to tell the stories he had heard hundreds of times before, Dib looked around at the photos that decorated the office and thought about his weekend. After he decided his equipment would be more helpful at the house than in the lab, his time was spent moving from the facility down to his basement. If he couldn't continue his work on the Eyeball's time then he was determined to do it on his own, no matter how little time he had to himself. 'It would also be easier to borrow materials from dad this way' he mentally added. Rewiring the satellite dish on the roof allowed him to run cables down into the basement to connect to his equipment. Gaz had threatened to destroy him if he messed with her T.V. shows or her internet connection, but luckily he was competent enough not to disrupt her entertainment as he worked.

Now that he was finished, he was oddly proud of himself. It wasn't the same set-up he had had in the facility's lab, but it would do. With his mentor's help he was even able to construct the monitor from the borrowed, or rather stolen, Air Force blueprints. Created to observe falling orbiting satellites, they had reformatted it to search for foreign radiation patterns and track them across the globe. It would be useful for their trip, and its flashing lights gave the basement an eerie sense when he walked down the steps. The more he considered it, the more it seemed his basement was being turned into his personal madman's laboratory. Maybe he should invest in a dissection table- just for laughs.

The alarm on his phone reminded him of his meeting with Bill, so with a reluctant farewell to his mentor he headed out to his partner's office. He dragged his feet down the hall as he went and ignored the looks other agents sent as he passed. It seemed he wasn't as popular around the faculty anymore since the rumor had spread that he faked his own research. He had gone from a nobody, to man of the century, to faculty pariah in the course of months. 'An accomplishment not many could pull off' he contemplated. 'But _of course_, I would'. The case he was assigned was probably just another way the Eyeball decided to punish him for his failure. Or, he cringed when Bill emerged from his office, they decided to punish him by forcing him to work with the base's biggest jerk. Bill stood there smirking as Dib approached, and Dib hardly stopped the groan of grimace.

"Ah, now there's a good boy; right on time. Now let's get your gear and go." Bill instructed as he started to stroll down toward the storage lockers, without pause to wait for Dib. "Shouldn't we at least discuss the case?" Dib questioned in confusion as he rushed to catch up. "You know make a game plan? I mean, I know it's an obvious fake, but-" Quickly, Bill spun on his feet and pointed his finger in Dib's face. "Never say vampires are fake!" He snarled. "I'm the expert around here, and I've been following cases like this for years; longer than you been an agent."With a final glare Bill turned down the hallway and as Dib stood there he felt remorse that, of course, he got the crazy partner.

He gave a short jog to reach Bill's strides until he walked evenly next to the man. "Okay, fine the Count is a real vamp, but we still need a plan." Dib argued, hoping to find some reason within the other. Bill peered over his sunglasses at him before a smirk blossomed over his face. "I'm in charge kid, and it's my call. Just do exactly what I say and you'll be fine. You research geeks are always down here in the labs, while the rest of us do all the real work. It's about time you got your hands dirty like any _real_ agent would." Dib bit his tongue, not wanting to give the other the pleasure of getting him to lose his cool. No, he thought it best to just let Bill have his way for now and avoid any unnecessary fighting. It wasn't like the case mattered anyway.

When they reached the lockers, Bill wasted no time shoving device after device into Dib's hands with only quick explanations to what each item did. He could barely put one device away before another replaced it, and he had trouble listening to what Bill said when the man talked so fast."That's your taser; point it away from you and click the button, here. No, not _that_ button, _this_ button! These are sleeper cuffs; they go on like regular handcuffs. Put these on anything, and they will instantly render the subject unconscious. Do not lose the keys. Since we are dealing with vamps, this is your neck guard. It is to be worn at all times, no exceptions!"

Dib took care to secure the straps around the back of his neck as Bill continued to pull out different devices. Just when it seemed they were at the end Bill pulled a strange black apparatus that looked like a Smartphone, but with a sort of scanner on top. "And this" Bill announced, sounding proud like he built the thing himself, "is the most important tool in your entire arsenal; _this_ is your X-ray scanner. Point it at something and you can see the entire internal structure. It's great for locating any potential threats. And, if you point it at someone you can see them naked." 'Well then' Dib thought 'maybe he did make it himself'. "You can't be serious. Why would I want to look at naked people?" Bill stared. "Why would you not want to look at people naked?" He gave Dib a not so subtle once-over before quickly adding "Don't point it at me."

Glaring, Dib barely held himself back as he stashed the scanner with the rest of the items in the inner pockets of his trench coat. "I'll try to control myself Bill." Dib growled only to shoot back as another finger shot in his face. "Disembodied Head, kid. Codenames only when out in the field. Every _real_ agent knows that." He sneered before he quickly signed out the equipment and left Dib behind again. Dib snarled at insult about his status as an agent. It was getting old fast he decided, and that the other felt the need to be five steps ahead of him, literally, at all times was getting to him too.

Trailing the other through the base, again, he watched Agent D-Head signed out a facility car before he headed to the parking garage. 'Huh, D-Head.' The name fit Bill rather nicely he thought. Much shorter and more realistic than Disembodied Head. Snickering as he sat shotgun in car, D-Head looked slightly creeped out and it took all that Dib had to stop himself from snickering.

As they drove out of the garage Dib settled and watched the buildings pass by out the window. It seemed that D-Head decided to take them to the out skirts of the city where most of the building were falling apart and abandoned. "So mind sharing where we're going? I can't read minds." He asked and wondered if the other even had a clue what they should do. Keeping his eyes on the road D-Head leaned over and ruffled through the suitcase next to Dib before he flipped a folder up into Dib's face. He caught it and looked down; realizing it was the same case file D-Head had shoved at him last week. "Back to the scene of the crime" D-Head muttered face looking serious. Dib sighed and looked through the case notes again, hoping to avoid talking to D-Head for as long as possible.

The report described how a middle-aged homeless woman was found on the sidewalk in the abandoned business district. She was described being covered in punctured marks and had suffered from severe blood loss. Police claimed the marks were made by a switchblade knife and were quick to blame the local gangs around the area. As the woman was carted away first responders stated she moaned 'Cocofang' between her ragged breathes. She was quickly rushed to the hospital, but rescuers were unable to save her. No arrests were made and she became just another nameless victim to the streets. The case would have never fallen into the Eyeballs jurisdiction, but an ex-agent, who now worked on the Force, caught wind of it and asked the Council to look into it. Apparently, he felt there was more to the case, but was unable to do more as officer. Dib sighed and glanced at D-Head who was still speeding down the road. If they were the ones the case was passed to then chances were the Council doubted they would find anything more to this case as well.

After what felt like forever they pulled up in front of a large building. The windows were all broken by rocks thrown by bored teenagers and the doors were boarded up. He stepped out of the car and had the distinct feeling they were being watched. It was his first time in the field, so needless to say Dib was a little freaked out. The distant firing of gunshots did nothing to ease his nerves either. D-Head looked quite at home as he strolled to the building to do a sweep of the outside area. Dib crept slowly not wanting to leave the safety of the car, but knew he couldn't leave D-Head without backup. Dib noticed that at some point D-Head had taken out a notepad and had written down notes. While D-Head seemed relaxed enough, Dib started to fidget as he tried to think of what he was supposed to do. Suddenly, D-Head stopped writing and jerked his head up to stare at the building. Before Dib could say anything D-Head took off to the door in a sprint. "D-Head- I mean Disembodied Head! What the hell man?!" Dib took off after his partner only to pause briefly in surprise as D-Head kicked in the boarded door to the building. He felt growing uneasy as he chased D-Head into the building.

"Disembodied Head? Dude, where are you?!" Dib turned this way and that as he tried to find his partner in the darkness. He stumbled around and eventually found a wall he could use to guide himself through the room. He still had the feeling of eyes upon him and slowly he reached into his jacket to pull out the taser D-Head had handed him earlier. When he heard a scraping sound to his left he quickly jumped back only to hit his head against the wall. Grunting in pain, he reached up to rub the growing bump. "Bill! BILL! Answer me damnit!" He moved and felt something brush up against his leg. Swiftly, he brought out his taser and fired.

With a click the room was abruptly lit and there in a doorway Bill stood one finger on the light switch. Dib looked down only to see a fallen chair next to where he had been standing. 'Well, shit.' Bill chuckled and stepped over the broken furniture Dib had miraculously managed to avoid when he first stumbled into the room. "Wow, Mothman. Big scary chair try to get you?" Dib glared at the chair before kicking it away. "Shut up. If you wouldn't have ran off like a madman none of this would have happened." Dib growled, retracting the taser's lines before he placed it back in his pocket. Bill just looked amused as he watched his partner try to cover his embarrassment. "I thought I saw something, so I went to investigate. You were the one over his head. You can't even navigate through the dark, can you?" "Do I look like some sort of bat to you?" Dib snapped and moved to walk around Bill. Bill just smirked and took the lead again as he led Dib through the building.

"So did you find anything?" Dib asked as he eyed a nearby spider web. "I mean you had to think you found something for you to take off like that, right?" Bill looked to him and it took Dib a moment to notice the other wasn't looking at him, but rather behind him where the staircase ascended to the upper floors. "Oh, there is something there alright; it just knows better than to mess with me." Dib snorted at that. "Yeah Bill sure, whatever you say. If it's so scared then why don't you go take care of it." Feeling braver now than he was before, he started to walk around Bill to head up the stairs. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his arm lift him up before throwing to the floor with a crack. He groaned as he opened his eyes and was barely able to dodge the foot that slammed down where his chest would have been. Bill stood there; foot planted where Dib was last laying, a grin on his face and a speculative look in his eyes. "That's why it doesn't mess with me."

Bill straightened his stance and looked down at Dib. "And I'm not 'taking care of it' 'cause I'm stuck with a rookie as backup. If something did go wrong, no matter how unlikely that is, I want to know I can trust someone to have my back." Dib laid there gasping at the pain that shot up and down his back, before he slowly pulled himself up to his feet. "What…the hell…man." He struggled between breathes. "Are you… trying… to kill me?"

"Naw," Bill said "that would be too simple. It's more fun to just watch you suffer." Dib stood there still moaning as he lightly rubbed his back. "Did you really have to kick my ass to prove your point?" he grumbled, shooting Bill and pointed look. "Probably not, but it was a good way to check your reflexes." Bill answered. "You can't work with someone too slow. That's how you end up dead." "And you felt the need to test that by attacking me out of nowhere?" Dib shot. Bill nodded and headed up the staircase. "Enemies won't give you warning: constant vigilance. Have to be prepared at a moment's notice. So, starting tomorrow, me and you are hitting the training facilities bright and early. I can't be out here watching both of ours' backs." Dib followed slowly as they ascended up to the stairs. "How early is early?" he asked. "5 a.m." Dib groaned as he shuffled. This was going to be a long case.


End file.
